Appeals Court Ruling Stops Pebble Creek Golf Course From Being Rezoned!

Although the Pebble Creek Golf Club has been closed for several years, members of the group called Save Pebble Creek, organized by long-time Pebble Creek resident Leslie Green, have been doing everything they could to have the golf club reopen, rather than become single-family homes.

Yesterday, the group and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) won a significant victory in their efforts to prevent golf course owner Bill Place and his Ace Golf from rezoning the 149-acre property and selling it to GL Homes, which was planning to build 250 single-family homes on the golf course site.

In July of 2023, the attempt to rezone the golf course property was denied 5-2 by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), after Comm. Hagan said he had received 1,800 letters from residents of the community, the vast majority of which were in opposition to the rezoning. 

But, in October of last year, the home builder appealed the county commission’s denial of the rezoning request to Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Paul Huey and, on June 24, 2024, Judge Huey “quashed” the BOCC’s denial of the rezoning petition which means, in legal terms, “to set aside or void.” Judge Huey’s ruling on the developer’s appeal was that, “The court cannot find that the Board of County Commissioners relied on competent, substantial evidence when it denied GL Homes’ proposal.” 

The county appealed Judge Huey’s decision to the Second District of the District Court of Appeal of Florida, which overturned that decision and quashed the lower court’s order that would have allowed the rezoning.

Commissioner Hagan said of yesterday’s ruling, “I am very pleased to report that the Second District Court of Appeal agreed with the County’s rezoning denial and overturned the Circuit Court’s decision. I would like to thank you for your support and vigilance throughout this difficult ordeal.  We would not have won without you!” He also previously said that the county would consider buying the golf course “if the price were right.”

Green echoed Hagan’s sentiments regarding the latest decision: “Thanks to the rallying of the community and to our Commissioner Ken Hagan’s efforts, we have accomplished our goal of no rezoning that will keep the golf course land around which our entire neighborhood is based protected from development. I hope that we can now work with the landowner to find a more mutually agreeable solution. Ultimately, we would wish to have another golf course operator step in. Commissioner Hagan had mentioned in a Townhall meeting that the county would consider buying it  for a municipal golf course. This would meet another goal of ours, which is to avoid having the toxins that lie under the ground dug up for remediation.  Now, the land can be used for its intended purpose. I personally look forward to the next step.”

Place said that he would have no comment on the most recent ruling “until GL Homes reviews its options early next week.”

We also had not yet received comment from either of the homeowners associations in Pebble Creek.

Phase 1A Of County’s New Branchton Park Opens On Morris Bridge Rd. 

Congratulations to the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department, which has now opened Phase 1A of a new $6.7-million multi-phase expansion of Branchton Park at 15508 Morris Bridge Rd., less than a half-mile south of Cross Creek Blvd. 

On a frosty cold Jan.23, Hillsborough’s director of Parks & Recreation Rick Valdez, District 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, park project manager Jason McKenzie, New Tampa resident and Dist. 4 Comm. Christine Miller’s legislative aide Rico Smith were among those who cut the ribbon on the new 43-acre park. 

Valdez said the new park includes a splash pad (which wasn’t yet open, but it was too cold to try that day anyway), a large playground area (with a blue turf facsimile of the Hillsborough River running through it), plus several changing rooms, restrooms and a “Cop Cabin” where Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office (HCS) deputies can have a desk, a lounge (with a working fireplace) and a place to keep an eye on what’s happening in the park. 

Also under construction in Phase 1B are six pickleball courts, large- and small-breed dog parks and an additional restroom. Phase 1B is expected to open by no later than March of this year. 

Phase 2, which is funded and includes renovations to the original 19-acre Branchton Park, also is expected to include a zipline (in partnership between the county and a private contractor, who has not yet been selected) and an event center. Valdez said Phase 2 will take about two years to build. 

“I am thrilled to be here this morning as the commissioner who championed this project for over a decade,” Comm. Hagan said prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony. “How this occurred is that, for six years, I lived around the corner, off Cross Creek Blvd. And every day, I would drive on Morris Bridge Rd., because before we widened Bruce B. Downs (Blvd.), the traffic was terrible. 

“So, I’d go down Morris Bridge, and I’d always look over here and see this beautiful area and I would never see more than two or three people on the basketball courts or in the little picnic area. And I just remember thinking that we could really do something special and make a destination here. Well, many years later, we’ve created it [and we] worked closely with the New Tampa community to get the amenities the residents wanted to see here.” 

Hagan added, “This park will serve 45,000+ people within a ten-minute drive of this area.” 

For more info, visit HCFL.gov

County Breaks Ground On Cross Creek Recreation Center! 

 “We know this new facility will be bustling with activity the day it opens .” — Hillsborough Comm. Ken Hagan 

(Photos by Charmaine George; renderings provided by Hillsborough County) 

 Local families and residents have to be happy with all of the new parks now being built or in the planning stages these days in New Tampa, which has long had a dearth of Hillsborough County and City of Tampa parks and recreation facilities. 

Well, no more. Where zip code 33647 at one time only was home to the three-field New Tampa Little League (now called the North East Sports Complex/Eber Baseball) complex on Kinnan St., the county-owned Flatwoods Wilderness/Conservation Park (with entrances on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd.) and Branchton Park (on Morris Bridge Rd., south of Cross Creek Blvd.; more on that below), we now have the city’s New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms, the county-built North Tampa Athletic Assn. field complex at Turner-Bartels K-8 School (in conjunction with the Hillsborough School District) and the city’s New Tampa Nature Park. (Note-Of course, both Flatwoods and the New Tampa Nature Park are largely “passive” parks without much in the way of recreational facilities, other than trails and shelters). 

But, if you thought that was it for our local government-built parks, you were sadly mistaken, as the county is in the process of building a much-expanded Branchton Park, the city has created its first All-Abilities Park at the New Tampa Rec Center, a new covered outdoor “court sport” facility between Freedom High and Liberty Middle School and (as we reported last issue), also is in the planning stages of building a new 60-acre city park in K-Bar Ranch. 

The groundbreaking for Hillsborough County’s new Cross Creek Recreation Center on Aug. 30, where the featured speakers were County Commissioner Ken Hagan (below right) and county parks director Rick Valdez (below left). 

And, on Aug. 30, Hillsborough County held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new indoor Cross Creek Recreation/Community Center & Gymnasium (see the latest graphic of the park’s location, above) on the grounds of what was previously just an unfinished, underused outdoor “practice” facility in Cross Creek (just south of Pride Elementary and the Bassett Creek subdivision of K-Bar Ranch. 

“There are no indoor park facilities like this in New Tampa,” Dist. 7 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “The city has the gymnastics center in Tampa Palms, but nothing for indoor basketball or volleyball. We know this new facility will be bustling with activity the day it opens.” 

Aug. 30 was a super-hot day, so the festivities for the groundbreaking of the $9-million Cross Creek Recreation Center were short and sweet. 

“I’m so excited for how this park will further our mission of enhancing lives through people, parks and enjoyable experiences,” said Hillsborough Parks & Recreation director Rick Valdez. “Our county’s parks are among our most treasured resources and we are committed to preservingm growing and maintaining these outstanding community assets. And community parks are among our most popular assets, with fun amenities for people of all ages, improving physical fitness and proving that you can have fun and stay healthy at the same time.” 

He added, “This Cross Creek Community and Gymnasium will no doubt serve as a wonderful addition to this community and enrich the lives of our residents.” 

Valdez then introduced District 7 Hillsborough County Commissioner (and former New Tampa resident) Ken Hagan, saying that “The New Tampa community has truly been a labor of love for our next speaker. He has championed major projects, including the state-of-the-art New Tampa Performing Arts Center, the very popular New Tampa dog park (adjacent to the city’s rec center in Tampa Palms), our soon-to-open Branchton Destination Park and now this. I must say that no one has fought harder for New Tampa.” 

Hagan said, “It is such a pleasure to be here as we break ground on the next destination here in New Tampa., one of the most beautiful areas in all of Hillsborough County..” 

Hagan noted that the new park has been “many years in the making” and said that when he did live in Cross Creek and his son was zoned for Pride Elementary, “We did not have any summer or after-school programs, and we still don’t have a public indoor facility, but with this project, that’s about to change. This project will transform this entire area.” 

He then mentioned that the project will include a new 16,000-sq.-ft. community center and gymnasium, with a fitness room, a multi-purpose room with a warming kitchen, it will have multiple classrooms, a covered outdoor space, a new parking lot, walking path, more open green space with a large pavilion and the existing playground will be renovated to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant and there also will be a new picnic shelter. There will be something for everyone here in New Tampa.” 

In addition, Hagan said, there will be summer programs, after-school programs for kids, as well as senior programs during the day, including a possible ceramics studio. “Just imagine all of the possibilities for fun, education, community gatherings and fellowship. You’ll be able to do all of that at this new facility. It did take years for me to secure the funding, but I’m immensely proud to have championed this facility.” 

The rendering of the exterior design of the rec center (top photo) and (below it) the design of the park’s revamped playground. 

Following the “turning of the dirt,” Hagan also noted that because of the after-school programming at the new indoor facility, “We’re confident that it will help the traffic situation at Pride when school lets out. A lot of kids will come to the facility right after school lets out, which will shorten that queue initially and then, it’ll be spread out. Some of them will be picked up at 4 or 5 or even 6, so it will actually relieve the traffic here.” 

Hagan also said that because a rezoning was required to get the park approved, the county’s transportation staff had to come up with a pan to handle the traffic beforehand. He also noted that because Bassett Creek Dr. (the roadway that connects Kinnan St. to Pride is a county road that turns into a city road just north of the park site, how the traffic will be handled is just one of the challenges we’re dealing with.” 

Valdez said that the Cross Creek Rec Center should be open by Fall of 2025. 

Hagan also said after the groundbreaking that the first phase of the revamped Branchton Park, located further south of Cross Creek Blvd. on Morris Bridge Rd. than the existing park, was expected to open by the end of this month or in early October, but no update was available at our press time. He also said that his pet project at Branchton Park — the county’s first public-private partnership zip line — would not be included in that first phase and that not all of the Branchton Park construction phases were funded yet. 

Hundreds Attend Commissioner Hagan’s Town Hall Meeting 

 New Parks, The Pebble Creek Golf Course & Sidewalks Were Among The Many Topics Covered At The NTPAC

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan (at podium in upper right) addresses about 200 New Tampa residents at his standing-room-only Town Hall meeting on June 10 at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. Hagan brought along representatives of pretty much every county department to help answer questions he couldn’t during his 90-minute question-and-answer session. (Photo by Charmaine George)

Even though signs were posted throughout the New Tampa area for several weeks leading up to it, neither District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan nor New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) manager Keith Arsenault expected the standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people who showed up at Comm. Hagan’s Town Hall meeting on June 10 at NTPAC. 

“I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight,” Hagan said as he stood behind the podium on the NTPAC’s stage. “I know there’s a million things you could be doing with your time but the fact that you took time out of your schedules to join us is very much appreciated. This is a heck of a crowd. I expected a pretty good turnout but I had no idea it would be to this extent.” 

Before he began the Town Hall, Hagan said he had a few “housekeeping” issues he wanted to get to, including an announcement about “New Tampa’s own Bruhat Soma, who recently won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We invited him here tonight, but as you can imagine, he’s been to the White House, to California…we will be formally recognizing him at a future County Commission meeting, but what a tremendous accomplishment! I still remember the word that I misspelled in third grade… it was ‘grammar.’ To this day, I still think about that, but I wanted to honor this young man.” 

Hagan then mentioned that if people in attendance were like him, “You’re probably tired of seeing my picture on signs all around the neighborhoods. Well, those signs have all now been removed.” 

The Reason For The Town Hall 

“The purpose of this meeting tonight is to bring the county government to you,” Hagan said. “New Tampa is a wonderful community, as I know first-hand, having lived here for 15 years. It’s also a very unique community, as most of New Tampa is located in the City of Tampa, but you have certain neighborhoods — Cross Creek, Pebble Creek and Live Oak — that are in unincorporated Hillsborough.” 

Hagan then noted that, “Most of the main roads in New Tampa are county roads — Bruce B. Downs, Morris Bridge, Kinnan Street and you’ve got Cross Creek (Blvd.), with parts in the city, parts in the county. One of the first things I did, many moons ago, when I lived in Cross Creek, was to widen Cross Creek Blvd. to four lanes and to get a traffic signal at Kinnan — and that’s when I realized the challenge, because it was divided.” 

He added that, “The good thing is that we have a wonderful relationship with the City of Tampa, which makes things move a lot better. I know when I lived here, sometimes it felt like there were two New Tampas — south of I-75 and north of 75, which I know because I lived for nine years in Tampa Palms and six years in Cross Creek.” 

Hagan also said that he recognized that, “New Tampa is quite a bit aways from downtown Tampa, where the government offices are, and most folks up here are working or are busy with day-to-day activities and don’t have the opportunity to come down to attend a County Commission or City Council meeting. That’s why I wanted to have a forum, where we would bring the various county departments here to answer your concerns.” 

He also made sure that people in the audience understood that, “We’re here tonight to discuss New Tampa issues. We’re not here to discuss energy policy, geopolitical issues, presidential or any other elections. There also are some folks signed up asking questions about some issues related to New Tampa that I’m not going to touch on tonight (because there were 75+ people signed up to speak and less than 90 minutes before the meeting had to end), but if you provided your contact information, someone from my office will contact you and we will provide you with an update” 

Introducing The Departments 

Hagan then introduced the 50 or so people in attendance from the various city and county departments — City of Tampa Police (TPD), Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Hillsborough Fire Rescue (HFR), Pet Resources, Code Enforcement, Library Services, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Clerk of the Court, Supervisor of Elections, Affordable Housing, Homeless Services, Public Works, Conservation & Environmental Lands Management, County Parks & Recreation, City Parks & Recreation, Water Resources, Development Services, Children’s Services and the county’s Office of Emergency Management. Hagan thanked Arsenault and his NTPAC staff for hosting the meeting and noted what an amazing addition it already has been to the New Tampa community. 

And Away We Go! 

As Hagan scrolled his way through the sign-up sheets, he decided to start the actual town hall with an update on the improvements to Branchton Park. 

“When I lived in Cross Creek, I would often take Morris Bridge Rd. to get home and I would drive by this beautiful, but underutilized, park at the corner of Morris Bridge and Cross Creek,” Hagan said. “I said to myself that this would be a real opportunity to create a wonderful park that would be a true destination.” 

He then noted that several years ago, the county purchased 22 acres surrounding the existing park, “So now, we have a total of 42 acres. And what I wanted was to find out what the community, what amenities you wanted for this park, so we did an online survey to which more than 500 people responded and we incorporated nearly all of those suggestions into the park’s design.” 

Hagan then said that the county broke ground on the on the $9.5 million in improvements to Branchton Park, “about a year and a half ago. Phase 1 will have a new playground, splash pad, shelters, pickleball courts, a dog park and we’re looking for a private partner to provide the county’s first zip line. It’s going to be something really cool.” He added that he’s hopeful to have a ribbon cutting for Phase 1 sometime in September of this year. 

Speaking of parks, Hagan next gave an update on the Cross Creek Park Recreation Center, located adjacent to Pride Elementary. 

“This 17,000-sq.-ft. gymnasium and rec center is fully funded at a little over $9 million,” he said, “It also will have walking trails, a new playground and parking. It will provide much-needed after-school and summer programs for children, as well as senior and adult programming during the day. It will have indoor basketball, volleyball, pickleball..plus a fitness room and multi-purpose room.” 

He also said the next phase at the rec center will include an outdoor pavilion and a shade structure for the outdoor basketball court. “The current status is that the bidding is under way and closes this month (June) and we’re hoping to break ground on this recreation center in August or September.” 

Many local residents checked out the plans for the expansion of Branchton Regional Park. (Photo by Gary Nager) 

Hagan then recognized Cheryl Pahl, a retired 20-year teacher at Hunter’s Green Elementary and Pebble Creek resident for 30 years, who gave a prepared speech about incorporating a ceramics/ pottery art studio somewhere in New Tampa. 

“I have been teaching pottery at the Carrollwood Cultural Center,” Pahl said, “and I’m here tonight to advocate for the arts in New Tampa. This wonderful venue (the NTPAC) provides a road map to remove gaps to other types of art instruction in New Tampa outside of regular K-12 school instruction. We could provide pottery, painting and drawing instruction for all ages at this facility (the Cross Creek rec center). All art classes will have registration and other fees, so it could be self-sustaining after the initial outlay.” 

Pahl also mentioned that she and a group of volunteers circulated a petition around New Tampa and had collected, “close to 300 signatures.” 

Hagan responded that he fully supports creating an art and ceramics studio and, “I’ve had preliminary discussions with our parks director Rick Valdez to discuss potential options.” He added that the Parks Dept. has “eliminated kiln (ceramics oven) studios in our parks facilities, but based on the interest you’ve garnered, I want to make this a reality. An art and kiln studio will most likely be located in a dedicated room at the Cross Creek park or here (at NTPAC) in Phase 2, with Cross Creek a better chance to have it sooner. But, we’re going to make this happen.” 

Next, Maggie Wilson from the Tampa Palms Owners Association thanked Hagan and the county for repairing some sidewalks along BBD in Tampa Palms North “very quickly.” 

Also speaking on sidewalks was Diane Campbell from The Hammocks off County Line Rd., who began asking seven years ago for a sidewalk from in front of Grand Hampton to the stores on both sides of County Line & BBD, such as Target and LA Fitness. 

“Pasco put in a sidewalk on their side of County Line from Target to the entrance to Northwood” she said, “so we would just need one from Grand Hampton to Northwood. You said Public Works would look into it, so I’m wondering if there’s an update on it.” 

Hagan responded that sidewalks and road resurfacing, “are the biggest unfunded needs we face. We have hundreds, if not thousands, of unfunded sidewalk repairs, in addition to new sidewalks that you’re referencing right now. We also heard from many in the community about adding a traffic signal on County Line (at the entrance to Grand Hampton) and I’m very pleased that I was able to get the funding for that signal. Your sidewalk project is on the list of needs, but it’s currently unfunded for, I believe, $1.9 million. Should the (one-cent) Community Investment Tax (CIT) renewal — which is on the ballot this November) — pass again, then we will be able to get that sidewalk completed.” 

Via Italia restaurant owner and Live Oak Preserve resident Sunny Patel asks about a possible Kinnan St.-Mansfield Blvd. connection. 

Next up was Sunny Patel, the twelve-year Live Oak resident who also recently became the new owner of Via Italia restaurant. Patel said he was thankful the county built the NTPAC, but that he is hoping that one day, the Kinnan St.-Mansfield Blvd. connection that is now paved will one day be open to vehicular traffic. 

Hagan said, “You say you’ve lived here for twelve years, but I’ve been working on this issue even longer. The obstruction to making the connection is the Pasco County Board of Commissioners. I actually had an agreement with the county administrator, three administrators ago, that once Mansfield was connected to 56, they would open up Kinnan to Mansfield, but that never transpired. To show you how far back this goes, I was on the front page of the (now defunct) Tampa Tribune quoted as saying that there should be a toll booth on Bruce B. Downs (at the Pasco County line) because 60-70% of the traffic on BBD emanated from Pasco County.” 

He added, “The frustrating thing is that the Pasco County staff, their MPO, have all agreed that making the connection makes sense. The emergency and bicycle access at that location is a step in the right direction, but come hell or high water, one of these days, that’s going to happen under my watch.” 

Hunter’s Green resident Ed Killborn then raised a very popular topic — the timing of the traffic signals along BBD. “Since BBD was widened, the timing of the traffic signals has actually increased traffic tremendously,” Killborn said. “You sit at one red light, then the next red light and the next…and people are speeding like crazy trying to get through the lights before they change. There are two lights at BBD and I-75 and I defy you to get through those two lights going 45 miles per hour (the posted speed limit). My question is, why can’t we do something about reasonable timing of the lights at 45 miles per hour?” 

Hagan responded, “First of all, I agree with you. I’m pretty certain I ran one of those lights on my way here.” He also said that he would have Josh Bellotti from Public Works, who was in attendance at the Town Hall meeting, get with Killborn to discuss the timing of the signals on BBD. 

Several speakers were on hand simply to thank Hagan and his fellow commissioners for building the NTPAC. Tampa Palms resident Blake Hamilton was one of those but he also asked that the county find the money to expand the facility. Hagan recapped his efforts to make the dreams of Graeme Woodbrook and the late Doug Wall a reality. 

“The county bought this land as part of the BBD widening project,” Hagan said, “and some in the county wanted to ‘surplus’ it, meaning that it would’ve ended up as more houses or apartments, and I said, ‘Hell no, this is an unbelievable opportunity, in the middle of this community, to do something really special here. It took a lot longer than it should have, but I’m very proud that it’s here. But, to answer your question, it was designed with the ability to expand, so it’s 20,000 sq. ft. now and we can expand it by another 10,000 sq. ft., which is included in the CIT list of eligible projects.” 

Another local resident asked why the power lines between Pebble Creek and Cross Creek aren’t buried, “because we lost power during the last big storm when it seemed everyone else in New Tampa still had power.” Hagan said the last he heard was that TECO (Tampa Electric Co.) had a plan in place and a route selected for burying those power lines, “but that isn’t expected to start until next year.” 

New Tampa resident Suzie Marie then asked why there seems to be a lot more Tampa Police officers patrolling New Tampa than there are Hillsborough Sheriff ’s deputies, to which Hagan responded that, “Our Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff (Chad) Chronister, does a great job, and crime is down around the county, but the county is always below the national average for deputies per 1,000 population. But, what I sill tell you is that a substation will be located at Branchton Park, which will increase the Sheriff’s Office presence in New Tampa.” 

Next up was Leslie Green of the Save Pebble Creek group, who thanked Comm. Hagan for voting against rezoning of the now-vacant Pebble Creek golf course and asked if the county would consider buying it to make it a county public golf course. 

Hagan said that the county has looked into it and the most likely scenario would be for the Tampa Sports Authority to buy it, “but we’d have to have a willing seller, and he would have to come down from his current number. But absolutely, we’re interested.” 

He added that he has not yet seen any attempt to re-zone the property for affordable housing under the state’s new Live Local act, “and Adam Gormly with our Development Services department tells me that the golf course would not qualify for Live Local.” 

Long-time Cory Lake Isles resident Sid Shaw expressed concerns about safety on Morris Bridge Rd. from Cross Creek Blvd. south to I-75 (at the Fletcher Ave. exit). Hagan responded, “Morris Bridge is extremely dangerous. Last year alone, there were 33 crashes and three fatalities. A couple of months ago, we approved $2 million for safety improvements, including no-passing vertical delineators, reflective and profiled lane line markings, speed feedback signs, flashing beacons, curb warnings, back plates, electrical conduits, bike lane safety enhancements, bridge bike lane signs, milling and resurfacing, wildlife signs and more. Morris Bridge will be made a much safer road.” 

Hagan also mentioned that he is working to get the Bay Chapel Food Pantry on BBD $10-$15,000 to help them get a new freezer and that the work on the Grand Hampton traffic signal on County Line Rd. had begun and could be completed by the end of June. He also responded to a question about resurfacing the side roads in Pebble Creek now that Pebble Creek Dr. and Regents Park Dr. are finished. “That’s about a $6 million project and we will need the CIT to pass for that to be funded.” As for the expansion of the New Tampa Regional Library, Hagan said the plan is to expand the library by an additional 5,000 sq. ft. at a cost of about $700,000. 

After the meeting, Hagan and his aide Rich Reidy responded to my question about the $500 million in overturned transportation tax money, about half of which will go back to county for “major road improvements by July 1,” according to Reidy. “But we wanted it to improve neighborhood roads.” 

Upcoming Events — ‘Final Friday,’ Two Elected Officials Host Town Halls & More! 

Although the graduation events for both Freedom and Wharton high schools will already have been held by the time this issue reaches your mailbox, we wish all of our graduating seniors success in their future endeavors at the Summer of 2024 officially begins. In the meantime, there are some fun and some informative events on the upcoming docket. 

Thursday, May 30, 5:30 p.m. — New Tampa Community Meeting with Dist. 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera. At the New Tampa Recreation Center (17302 Commerce Park Blvd., Tampa Palms). Join Councilman Viera and learn about the latest developments at City Hall, get some information about the city’s Parks & Recreation Dept. and ask the Councilman your questions. 

Friday, May 31, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.. — The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) presents “Final Friday.” This free networking event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy.). For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com

Friday, May 31, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. — R&B Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park. See story below. 

Tuesday, June 4, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. — NTBC Business Breakfast with Florida Senator Danny Burgess. At the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch of Pasco Hernando State College (2727 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel). $25 for NTBC members, $30 for non-members. For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com 

Friday, June 7, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. — NTBC Leading Ladies Network with author & motivational speaker Kiera Yore. At Florida Avenue Brewing Co.’s Private Event Room (2029 Arrowgrass Dr., Wesley Chapel). $15 per person. For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com

Friday, June 7, 5:30-9:30 p.m. — The Market Elaine. At the Village at The Grove, with 150+ vendors, free admission & free parking. For info, visit TheMarketElaine.com

Monday, June 10, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. — Town Hall Meeting with Dist. 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. At the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunter’s Village Rd.). Join Commissioner Hagan for an informative evening of information and an opportunity to ask the Commissioner your questions. 

Wednesday, June 19, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. — Coffee Social at the Sara Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis & Wellness Center (6585 Simons Rd., Zephyrhills), hosted by SVB’s Che Sara restaurant. Free coffee, networking & light bites. 

Saturday, June 29, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. — Jazz Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park.